When using guided or target-seeking missiles with a decomposable warhead, in particular against flying targets, hits by ramming can generally not be expected because of the limited accuracy of the guidance system. For this reason, missiles with decomposable warheads are equipped with electromagnetic proximity fuses. To derive the ignition command for the warhead, use is made, for instance, of the falling below a predetermined minimum distance, cf. DT-OS No. 1 578 510, or of the falling below an adjusted constant of a Doppler frequency if the fuse is equipped with a Dopplar radar.
It has been found that warheads with several active or passive bodies, which can be scattered within a certain space sector have a minimum range probable error and an optimum hit efficacy when the individual bodies of the warhead cover a limited space when encountering the target where--according to experience--the mean distance of the bodies from each other shall be somewhat smaller than the diameter of the sensitive portion of the flying target.
However, such an optimization cannot be achieved with known fuses, since the abovementioned space covered by said bodies of the warhead depends on the relative speed at which the missile and the target encounter and will therefore have too small or too large a cross-section at the moment of encountering. In both cases a reliable destruction of the target is not guaranteed.
It has therefore been suggested, cf. DT-OS No. 2 206 403, to start the decomposition of the warhead at an early time and to connect the individual active or passive bodies after this decomposition by means of a holding or carrying structure. The individual active or passive bodies can thus cover the given optimum space sector before encountering the target and they can keep their positions until encountering the target.